In ‘COUP!’ find a sharp ‘comedy of menace,’ with Peter Sarsgaard and Billy Magnussen

AP Film Writer

It’s the early days of the 1918 pandemic when a mysterious new chef descends on a wealthy family’s estate in the new film “COUP!” which opens in theaters Friday. The chef, played by Peter Sarsgaard, is a worldly and questioning sort with a mischievous streak who torments his employer, Billy Magnussen playing a self-styled progressive journalist looking out for the plight of the worker from his gilded fortress. As the world shuts down around them, tensions continue to rise with both comedic and tragic outcomes. In a summer full of reboots and sequels, Magnussen hopes audiences take a chance on an indie darling.